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墨書 Inktalez
The National Day holiday passed in a rhythm of sleep and storytelling for the soldiers. During this time, Old Bi and Zhang Xing were nowhere to be found; perhaps they had gone out to have fun. Ah Huang did come to find me once, feeling bored because his girlfriend was busy with work and couldn't accompany him. He was looking for someone to spar with, which was also a way for him to practice. The outcome of our sparring was predictable—I lost. However, despite not being able to defeat him, I felt that the gap between us was narrowing. As Ah Huang put it, while my strength and speed were still lacking compared to his, he was surprised by my quick reactions and keen observation skills. It was just that my physical abilities couldn't keep up with my reactions. He believed that if I trained diligently over the years, my reactions could become instinctual habits, allowing me to surpass him.
I pondered over this for a long time. Although I agreed with his perspective, I couldn't accept being defeated or outmatched in skills without finding a way to compensate in other areas. After some thought, I actually came up with a solution: I drew up a design for my own weapon—a long staff made of refined steel. It could be extended in the middle, transforming into two short staffs. The clever part was that these short staffs could twist apart, revealing hidden chains inside, turning them into nunchaku. Each end of the long staff had a pointed tip, allowing it to function both as a staff and a spear, combining the characteristics of both weapons. This versatility would enable me to use spear techniques against long weapons while also allowing me to split it into two short staffs for agile attacks. Especially in close combat against daggers or knives, I could switch to using the nunchaku.
Once I finalized the design, I searched for a long time in the city before finding a vendor willing to take my order. After paying a deposit and specifying my requirements, I returned to the unit and waited.
After the holiday, the unit became particularly busy due to several important tasks that needed to be carried out consecutively: first was selecting non-commissioned officers, which had to be completed before veterans retired; second was handling veteran retirement matters, including issuing retirement benefits, completing files, and providing relevant certifications; third was dispatching personnel to receive new recruits—back then, this process involved both the unit and the Armed Department working together. The unit had to bring its own military doctor for inspections and home visits. Each year, several teams were sent out from various directions to recruit new soldiers, making it essential to select suitable personnel and military doctors for these tasks; fourth was transitioning officers into civilian roles at the end of the year. Many officers wished to transition due to age or family reasons and needed to inquire about opportunities early on; those who weren't ready or unable to leave were considering whether there were any vacancies available for promotion. As a result, nearly all groups within the unit became active.
The atmosphere shifted dramatically from the lethargy of the National Day holiday to one of bustling activity.
I wasn't particularly interested in any of this. To be honest, at that time I had no plans or ideas about my future; I simply followed the routine of work and life. However, one cannot live in isolation without being affected by external fluctuations.
The first person who approached me was one of my soldiers—not in a noisy manner like He Baisha but rather timidly—Tang, that shy Henan warrior. To my surprise, he wanted me to help him speak with the Company Commander and Instructor about staying in the unit. His reason was that he came from a rural background with limited family resources; he had a younger brother and sister and wanted to serve in the military for a few years to save money and alleviate some pressure on his family. Normally speaking, since our unit was indeed quite demanding, most soldiers who performed well could transition into non-commissioned officer roles as long as they submitted an application. Tang understood this point well enough but seemed skeptical about it; judging by his expression, he probably thought I was trying to deceive him. He even slipped a cigarette onto my desk secretly, which made me feel awkward. I scolded him for that but ultimately agreed to help him find the Company Commander and Instructor—perhaps I was just too soft-hearted.
At this point, let me add that back then, taxi officials were mainly selected from soldiers who had completed their service terms as conscripts. The non-commissioned officer system involved staggered service periods: two years for the first two phases, four years each for the third and fourth phases, five years for the fifth phase, and over nine years for the sixth phase. The ranks of non-commissioned officers included senior (level six and five), intermediate (level four and three), and junior (Staff Sergeant and First Sergeant). Implementing this system met the objective requirements of military development while helping retain technical personnel within the army and strengthening grassroots management—about 50% of soldiers in most technically skilled units could easily transition into non-commissioned officer roles.
At that time, I was quite naive; I always thought relationships were reciprocal. Since I worked hard and brought honor to our unit, surely the Company Commander and Instructor would give me some consideration—I thought doing someone a favor should be simple.
People can be strange sometimes; when you don't need anything from others, you can joke around freely with your superiors without hesitation. But once you have something you want from them, your confidence inexplicably diminishes. After evening roll call one night, I quietly snuck into Company Headquarters because I figured both the Company Commander and Instructor would be there discussing officer selections.
I won't go into detail about what happened next—the result was that I got yelled at by the Instructor right in front of everyone. He accused me of taking money from soldiers when I first arrived at the unit and said if he had known my character was so poor he would have kicked me out long ago—his words were harsh and unforgiving. There were other things I couldn't remember clearly; I've never been one to back down easily or tolerate humiliation like this before—I felt utterly misunderstood and insulted as I held my head down during his tirade.
Fortunately, the Company Commander intervened at last and asked what my relationship with Tang was. With great difficulty, I managed to explain Tang's family situation while also mentioning his usual performance objectively before finally requesting that our unit consider his circumstances favorably under similar conditions.
The Company Commander simply said “Don’t let your good intentions lead you astray,” waved his hand dismissively at me, allowing me to leave without further discussion. Without even looking back at the Instructor, I rushed out of Company Headquarters filled with indignation and resentment over what had just happened. Back at Barracks, I immediately gathered all my soldiers again and reiterated the procedures regarding officer selections while urging them all to believe in their own qualities as well as in our organization’s integrity. Finally, pointing at our “Sharp Blade Company” banner hanging proudly on display, I declared: “You may not believe in me but you must believe in this banner! It is a testament to your collective efforts! It belongs not only to you but also to our unit! Whether you stay or leave this year will determine if this banner remains here next year—and trust me when I say there are those who care about it even more than we do!”
I knew that my words would reach the Company Commander and the Instructor, but I didn't want to hold back. It wasn't just for Tang; it was also for the five soldiers in our squad who were submitting their non-commissioned officer applications. When Tang saw me come out of the Company Headquarters, his face turned pale, and he pitifully didn’t dare to approach me. The other soldiers seemed a bit scared too, and the atmosphere in the squad became strange.
I understood that there was nothing I could do until the results of the selection for non-commissioned officers were announced.
Just a few days later, Old Bi came to find me. He asked if I wanted to join him in receiving new recruits. I was taken aback; first, because I had never considered this before, and second, because the selection of personnel hadn’t been finalized yet. Besides, we couldn’t decide who would go or not.
Old Bi didn’t say much; he just mysteriously asked if I really wanted to go. Although I was quite naive at that time, I wasn’t foolish. I looked at Old Bi and said, “What’s so great about receiving recruits? You all seem eager to go. What makes you think you can take me with you?”
Old Bi patted my shoulder and smiled ambiguously. “Brothers, you really don’t understand the army yet. I won’t say much; just make your decision in these two weeks and come find me. I guarantee you can go to the same place as me. We can have a legitimate month of fun together!”
I forced a smile. “A month of fun? Aren’t you worried your girlfriend will come looking for you?” He chuckled awkwardly and left.
To my surprise, even the Deputy Company Commander sought me out. He didn’t have anything specific to discuss; he just mentioned that by the end of the year, both Commanders of our Unit might be leaving, and there might still be opportunities for us to work together. He asked if I had any thoughts on this matter. What thoughts could I possibly have? I shook my head in confusion. I wasn’t sure what his intentions were; although we got along well privately, Major Items always seemed rather profound. I didn’t like his roundabout way of speaking. After chatting for a bit and realizing I had no particular thoughts on the matter, Major Items nodded and left.
These consecutive events had a significant impact on me. I felt gloomy not because of being misunderstood by the Instructor and Company Commander but because all I wanted was to be a simple soldier. However, I hadn’t anticipated encountering so many issues within the army—so many relationships that complicated things. Many matters seemed simple at first glance and easy to handle, yet they turned out to be quite complex. The trees wished for calmness but the wind would not cease; this was very different from my previous views about military life, leading me to develop new feelings and understandings about it.
Amidst my frustration, after every normal training session, I would grab a few Veterans and practice combat with wooden sticks. At first, with my stick alone, I could take on five or six people at once. As time passed and everyone’s coordination improved, I could only manage to face off against one or two opponents at most; if there were more than that, I risked getting hit once or twice due to speed issues. Thanks to Ah Huang’s reminders, I realized that my speed and strength were still lacking; only through practical experience could I continuously improve. Days passed like this for over a week until a Battalion Communicator came looking for me—there was a call from the regiment asking for me to report.
What could it be about?
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